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Workers mopping up diesel spilled in Prince William Sound

August 08, 2001|By Items compiled from Tribune news services.

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — Workers have cleaned up nearly one-third of the diesel spilled by a sunken fishing vessel into Prince William Sound, the largest spill there since the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, officials said Tuesday.

Fuel began leaking Saturday when a fishing boat hit a rocky ledge 400 yards offshore and sank in about 1,000 feet of water. About 35,000 gallons of diesel have spilled.

The spill is far from the 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez that fouled 1,000 miles of the Alaska shore, but officials said it will likely harm marine life.

Workers have spotted endangered sea lions and humpback whales swimming through the diesel, and the spill occurred near the peak period of the summer pink salmon run. The fuel has reached land in three spots.